Publication in EndNote Format

%0 Report
%@ 494
%A Waldinger, Richard J. and Stickel, Mark E.
%T Proving Properties Of Rule-Based Systems
%C 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025
%I AI Center, SRI International
%D 1990
%K Program verification!Rule-based Systems, Expert Systems
%X Rule-based systems are being applied to tasks of increasing responsibility. Deductive
methods are being applied to their validation, to detect flaws in these systems
and enable us to use them with more confidence. Each system of rules is encoded
as a set of axioms that define the system theory. The operation of the rule language
and information about the subject domain are also described in the system theory.
Validation tasks, such as establishing termination, unreachability, or consistency,
or verifying properties of the system, are all phrased as conjectures. If we succeed
in establishing the validity of the conjecture in the system theory, we have carried
out the corresponding validation task. A method for the gradual formulation of
specifications based on the attempted proof of a series of conjectures has been
found to be suitable for rule-based systems. Such a specification can serve as
the basis for a reengineering of the system using conventional software technology.
%U http://www.ai.sri.com/pubs/files/478.pdf